Meninga delayed the naming of his 24-man squad for next week's Test against New Zealand in Perth and tour of Britain until Tuesday morning as Flanagan's Sharks basked in the glow of snapping the NRL's longest title hoodoo.

Gallen and Fifita, unlucky to be overlooked for the Clive Churchill Medal after his match-winning try in the grand final, both did their chances no harm in a heart-stopping struggle on Sunday night.

And Flanagan has urged Meninga to take both of them on tour, even despite Fifita's contentious support of one-punch killer Kieran Loveridge, which saw him issued with a warning for consorting with criminals by NSW Police.

Gallen won't be available for next year's World Cup, but was man of the match in the Kangaroos' shutout of the Kiwis in the Anzac Test.

"If Mal doesn't take Gal and he's taking someone else he's not taking the best team," Flanagan said. "Mal's putting all this pride in this jersey, but Gal's earned it and he's one of the best players. If he doesn't take him there should be a little bit of doubt over whether it's the best team for Australia no matter how old you are.

"He [Gallen] is fit enough and he [Meninga] keeps banging on about picking the best players in each position and respecting the jersey and he's someone that loves the jersey."

Fifita's inclusion will be a lot more controversial given a turbulent past month with Meninga hinting he wanted players who could be role models in the green and gold.

"If they're picking the team on football ability he'll get there," Flanagan argued.

The Sharks were yet to determine the extent of Jack Bird's elbow injury, which saw the 21-year-old play the last 60 minutes of the grand final in severe discomfort having been the victim of friendly fire from Gallen.

Bird, who thought he had broken his elbow, was thought to have instead strained ligaments and will be fighting to be fit for selection as a utility in the Four Nations squad.

"He looked at me at some stage in the game and said, 'mate, I'm gone here'," Sharks halfback Chad Townsend recalled.

"I looked at him and said, 'what's going on?' He said, 'I think I've broken my elbow'. I just looked him in the eye and said, 'I need you to hang in here and be tough'. He looked at me back and just nodded head.

"His toughness has never been questioned and he's the type of kid who just wants to play footy. He got strapped up and got on with the job."

Fifita's front-row partner Matt Prior could be another bolter for the squad given his blistering form during the second half of the season.

"It is [Kangaroos selection] is something I've definitely dreamed about," Prior said. "I'd love to be picked. How close I am to it? I've got no idea. It's awesome to be picked and something I've never really thought about too much."